Preliminary Design of Low-Rise Buildings Stiffened with Buckling-Restrained Braces by a Displacement-Based Approach

A displacement-based methodology for the preliminary design of a system of buckling-restrained braces is introduced. The methodology applies to the case of low-rise buildings, whose dynamic response is not significantly influenced by global flexural behavior or higher modes. The methodology is applied to the preliminary design of a five-story building located in the Lake Zone of Mexico City. From the evaluation of the global mechanical characteristics of the building and of its seismic performance when subjected to ground motions generated in that zone, it is concluded that the proposed methodology yields an adequate level of seismic design.